


up the waterspout

by tooattachedtofiction



Series: Arachnid [2]
Category: Daredevil (Comics), Daredevil (TV), Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Barely Canon Compliant, Fourth Wall Breaking, Gen, Mentioned MJ and Ned - Freeform, OFC - Freeform, Peter barely appears tbh, Team Red (Marvel) - Freeform, cw guns, foggy/matt implied but not stated, it is canon typical violence only, let me be clear, no romantic relationships, sir these are my emotional support dumbasses, tw guns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29681739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooattachedtofiction/pseuds/tooattachedtofiction
Summary: Foggy glared at his friend. “She needs an adult in her corner. Look after her. If you can’t convince her to stop, the least you could do is make sure she doesn’t die.”Matt looked almost offended by this statement. “Why do I have to do it?”“She’s a kid, Matthew.”“And?”(Andie searches for a mentor. She gets Matt Murdock and Wade Wilson instead.)
Relationships: Matt Murdock & Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Matt Murdock & OFC, Matt Murdock & Wade Wilson, Matt Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Wade Wilson & OFC
Series: Arachnid [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153205
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> hello! it's been a week or two since the first part of arachnid came out, and Nicks and I are so happy to publish this one now too! As always, a HUGE shoutout to Nicks (@marvel-imagines-yes-please on tumblr) for being my beta and dealing with my many, many ramblings about this fic. Enjoy!

“One of the first things you’re going to need in order to be a proper superhero is support.” Peter had told Andie mere hours before he left Queens for Massachusetts. They were sitting on another roof ledge. “Because I’m not going to be here, you’ll need someone else to look out for you.” 

“I don’t  _ need _ anyone to look out for me. Besides, didn’t Tony Stark tutor you? Why can’t I just get one of the Avengers, like Black Widow?” Andie questioned. Peter laughed, patting his hand on her head patronizingly. She swatted his hand away with both arms and a stink-eye. 

“The Avengers are a little too high-level for you right now. You don’t want to get too ambitious too soon. Trust me, it’s better if you stick to the streets for now.” He advised with a raised brow. 

“I thought you liked the Avengers. You guys fought a lot together.” 

“I do like them,” Peter said, although he knew Andie could hear the lie in his voice. “But I didn’t become Spider-Man to be a protector of the galaxy. I created Spider-Man to help the little guys.” He shrugged. 

On all technicalities, Peter  _ did _ still have a good, working relationship with the other Avengers. Steve had retired immediately after Thanos, and Nat returned to working covert, vigilante-style missions with Clint and Barnes. Tony was  _ technically _ retired too, but that didn’t stop him from getting in the suit every so often. The others stayed, but Peter had made the choice to step away when he accepted the letter from MIT. 

The Avengers weren’t bad, but Peter was still a teenager. Their world was a little too grown-up for him. The fate of the world and potential galaxy resting on his shoulders was heavy, and Peter’s anxiety didn’t want any of it after the first three times. 

Tony had tried to get him to stay. Then again, this was coming from the same man who had insisted that Peter go to MIT. So he didn’t have the right to judge all of Peter’s life choices. 

“So what do I do, then?” 

“Find another adult superhero and latch onto them like a leech.” Peter shrugged again. Andie wrinkled her nose at the description. 

“Do I have to?” Andie whined. She had a hard time following advice, especially when that advice would help in the long run. 

“Unless you can find another teen superhero. Most of them are on the west coast, or they’re in Chicago.” Peter laughed at Andie’s pout. “Chill, girl. You’ll find one. New York’s crawling with vigilantes these days.” 

“But none of them are _ you,” _ Andie’s pout deepened. Peter smiled weakly. 

Aw, Andie. Where was she when Peter’s insecurities got the best of him? 

“Find someone. If you don’t, and you ever get in trouble… Take this.” Peter fiddled with the pockets in his suit before he fished out a slightly bent business card. He handed it to Andie, who took it gingerly. The card was black, and in shiny, silver letters, there was a logo for Nelson & Murdock. Below the silver letters were small raised bumps. 

“They’re located in Hell’s Kitchen. Pretty easy to find. Any time you need them, whether it’s three in the afternoon or three in the morning, they’ll help.” Peter promised. “Keep that card someplace safe, and don’t forget them.” 

“Lawyers?” 

Peter shook his head. “Something like that.” 

“Any other final advice before you leave me for three months?” Andie asked, tucking the business card away. Peter hummed as he thought. 

“Learn some basic medical procedures. Try to avoid the emergency room. Use baby powder in the suit, _ extra _ heavy on the joints, it’ll help. Find an emergency contact. Can’t be a parent, but it can be a friend. The older, the better, but if they’re close with your dad, find someone else.” He rambled, pressing his hands against the ledge and shrugging his shoulders once again. “Ready for one last crime-fight night?” 

  
  
  


Peter had said to find support. Andie wasn’t sure what that meant when you were Spider-Man, but she was now more determined than ever to find out. 

He’d talked about his friends, Ned and MJ before. He called them his personal “get-help” team. Andie knew he also confided in his aunt and Tony, but Andie wasn’t sure she had anyone like that. Well, she had her step-father, but he’d probably never let her go out again if she told him. 

It’s not like Andie didn’t  _ have  _ a community. There was the group of people at the dojo where her father worked, where Andie had practically grown up. Sensei Kikuchi gave off grandpa energy, even though he had a reputation as one of the harder teachers there. Then there was Sensei Joey, who was a few years younger than Andie’s dad. Joey taught the little kids’ classes and was generally the recruiter, given the fact that he was the youngest and most handsome of the teachers. Not to say that Andie’s dad wasn’t handsome. 

And then there was the team. The dojo team was a group of students who performed stunts and syncopated martial arts at various events and competitions. Andie had quit after her mom died, although she still joined their practices. She was even mentoring one of the younger team members. 

The most notable ones of the team were Katie, Kimmo, Taylor, and Juniper. All of them were older, but Juniper was the closest to Andie’s age. Both of Juniper’s parents worked the night shift at the Lenox emergency room. Most nights Juniper spent alone or at the dojo with Andie and the others. 

At least that box was checked off. 

Andie found herself thinking about the other support Peter had mentioned as she sat on one of his old perches, observing the city below. She needed to find an adult to help her. Andie trusted Peter enough to know that he wasn’t going to send her flying into the underground on her own. He’d given her that business card for a reason. But Spidey didn’t work with the street vigilantes much, at least not after he joined the Avengers. 

According to the news, Black Widow had decided to step down from the team along with Cap, the Winter Soldier, and Hawkeye. They hadn’t exactly made a public announcement, but the news had gone fucking wild with that headline. Rumors floated around the internet about seeing them on the streets, but no one bothered to take photos. Miraculously, most New Yorkers were very protective of their supers. 

But Peter had told Andie to not go looking into Avengers business. She figured he knew better than anyone about that sort of thing, so she crossed Black Widow off her list. 

That didn’t leave much. The Avengers were the main hub in New York, aside from the X-Men, the Defenders, and the Fantastic Four. Still, the X-Men were intimidating as hell, and Andie was definitely not going to a mutant boarding school, away from her step-father. They both needed each other too much. 

Andie pulled out the business card again, staring down at it. “Nelson and Murdock. Hell’s Kitchen,” She read aloud. “Huh.” 

Growing up, Will Jackson had repeatedly told Andie that whatever she did, she needed to avoid Hell’s Kitchen. Of course, this always piqued her interest. She knew how to take care of herself, but everyone knew those streets were some of the most dangerous in the city. 

Her common sense told her not to go. 

She ignored it and indulged herself to the edge of self-destruction. 

  
  
  


In the end, Andie gave in to temptation. Hell’s Kitchen was a new kind of fucked up that Andie had never experienced. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep experiencing it after she heard gunshots coming from two different directions. 

One scream, and she flew into the air without a second thought.

The scream was traced back to a woman who was being cornered into a metal fence by two men. They didn’t look too smart, and Andie was pretty sure one of them didn’t know what a belt was. 

“Why’re you screaming? A pretty little thing like you don’t need to be loud to be noticed,” one of them drawled. Andie landed on a rooftop above the alley. Even without seeing the guy’s face, she shivered. 

There was a slight glint of metal that appeared in one of the guys’ hands.  _ It’s now or never, Andie. _ The voice in her head growled.  _ You want to be a hero? Then  _ save  _ her.  _

“Back off, creeps.” Andie called out, jumping down and landing behind the two men. “Don’t you have anything better to do tonight?” 

The two turned, and one of them spoke, drawing his knife. “It’s a private game, honey. Adults only.” Andie resisted the urge to gag at the pet-name. 

“I wasn’t aware attempted rape and jail time was a game to you.” 

“We weren’t gonna hurt ‘er much,” The other one said with a sickening smile. “Just enough. You gonna do something about it?” 

“Sure,” Andie grinned, launching herself into battle with a flying roundhouse.  _ Okay, Andie, get the knife and worry about the other stuff after.  _ The two men clearly had no knowledge of martial arts, but they knew how to use their fists, and they definitely knew how to use a knife. They got a few shallow cuts in her during their struggle. Ignoring the pain, she distracted them just enough to grab it and stick it to the wall at least ten feet up. 

“Who told you that you could bring knives to a fist fight?” She asked as one of them attempted to choke her. Andie responded with a swift knee to the kidneys and, using his own momentum against him, threw the guy over her shoulder. The other started running towards her, but was stopped when he found his feet were stuck in a web. Andie used an uppercut to knock him down and out. The other stayed on the ground. 

She made sure both of them were rendered immobile before checking in on the woman. “Can you go to a safe place nearby and call the cops?” Andie asked, panting slightly. The woman’s eyes were wide. 

“U-uh, my apartment’s a few blocks away-” 

“Call 911, and stay here. They’ll need a statement.” Andie ordered. “They’re knocked out. Learn self defense. It’ll be good for you.” 

“You’re not Spider-Man. Your suit isn’t red or blue,” The woman pointed out. Behind the mask, Andie rolled her eyes. “W-Who are you then? What happened to the original one?” 

“Arachnid. Spidey’s taking something of a break.” Andie said carefully. “Stay safe, ma’am.” 

She shot a web upwards. Within seconds, she’d disappeared into the night sky. 

  
  
  


Nelson and Murdock wasn’t far, but Andie wasn’t entirely sure what she’d been expecting when she planned to visit. The office was located in a building that was mostly dark, and she doubted the two lawyers were still working at the office at two in the morning. 

Peter had said to visit at any time, but clearly, any time had to be within the parameters of normal people hours. She sat on the roof of the building across the street from Nelson and Murdock and stared at it. 

What were they going to do for her anyways? She was 14. Andie was pretty sure that lawyers weren’t allowed to represent 14-year-olds without their parents’ consent. They had to be connected to vigilantes in some way though. They seemed to go to court to defend the Winter Soldier every couple of months. No matter the case, Nelson and Murdock always emerged from the courtroom victorious. 

The back of her neck prickled slightly. She’d come to realize this was a bad feeling, but turning around meant confronting that feeling, and confrontation wasn’t her thing - at least, not quite yet. Someone lifted her hood and suddenly, her feet were off solid ground. Kicking her attacker would be futile and would only hurt her more in the end. 

This was the exact kind of situation she was supposed to be avoiding. Why did she have to come to Hell’s Kitchen? Why did she love to ignore her common sense so much? 

“State your business.” A low voice rumbled. 

“Who are you?” 

“State your business.” The voice repeated. 

“I know you want to know my business, but I’d like to know who I’m speaking to,” The words flew out of Andie’s mouth before she could think about what she was saying. “It’s common courtesy to introduce yourself, y’know.” 

She was turned around and found that she was talking to the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. 

“Hiya.” Andie gave a weak wave and a nervous smile to the masked man, who did not look amused. 

“What are you doing here?” The devil said.

“Listen, I think my business is the same thing as your business at the moment, and that’s fighting crime. We’re on the same side here, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to, y’know, push me to the point of nearly dying.” Andy waved her hands as she talked. They flickered in and out of view. 

Daredevil looked at her. “You’re the one that’s been running with Spider-Man lately, aren’t you?” He said it less as a question and more as a statement. “But it’s just you now.” 

“He didn’t die, he’s taking a break. Something about needing to focus on school, or-” Daredevil put Andie back down on the ground. 

“Christ, how old  _ are _ you? You’re tinier than he was when he started out.” 

“Uh, I don’t know if I can answer that. I thought superheroes liked keeping their identities a secret.” Andie said, tilting her head. “That’s like, rule one of being a superhero. That’s what the Incredibles said, at least.” She shrugged. Her hands were still flickering in and out of sight. 

Daredevil looked at her. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she got the distinct feeling that he was giving her the same exasperated look that her teachers gave her when she rambled too much. “You shouldn’t be in Hell’s Kitchen, kid. Go home.” He turned on his heel and started to walk away.

“Mr. Daredevil?” Andie’s voice made him still for a few seconds. “Do you work alone? Does that mean I need to work alone, too? Because Spidey told me to find an adult superhero and then he said something about a leech. I pay attention, it’s just that I only remember being disgusted by his analogy.” 

“Find someone else.” The red devil grunted before disappearing into the night. 

Andie’s shoulders slumped. This was going to be harder than expected. 

  
  


The following afternoon, Andie returned to Nelson and Murdock in the full suit. Peter had said that they would help, but she needed to be more careful with her identity. Last night was too close for her liking. Daredevil definitely could have pulled off her hood and forced her to go home with her tail between her legs. He didn’t, but he could’ve if he wanted to. 

She made her way up the stairs to the office, hoping it’d be empty. She didn’t want to sit in a waiting room for a long time in the suit. Andie didn’t want to scare off any of their clients, even if the firm did have a reputation for representing vigilantes. 

Thankfully, she was only greeted with a warm smile from their secretary. She didn’t seem phased by Andie’s suit at all. If anything, she looked and greeted Andie as if Andie was another, regular human being. 

“Did you need something?” The secretary asked. The nameplate on her desk read “Karen Page”. 

“Uh,” Andie started, unsure of what to say. This whole thing seemed silly, and she didn’t know how Karen would react if Andie said that Spidey had sent Andie here. “A friend gave me the business card that led me here. He said if I ever needed help, I could come here,” She stuttered out. “That sounds ridiculous. Um, I should go, I’m sorry for wasting your time.” 

Karen watched Andie’s posture shrink as her hands flickered in and out of existence. “It’s okay. I can get one of them for you. You can take a seat wherever you want.” Karen said kindly. Andie nodded and sat down, trying to make herself smaller than she already was. 

Karen disappeared into one of the offices, leaving the door open. Even with her enhanced hearing, she could only make out a few words from their conversation. Normally, she’d be able to hear more, but apparently, her anxiety affected her powers. Go figure. 

“Scared out of her wits” and “you’ll be more comforting” were the two that stuck out the most. Andie tried not to shake in the waiting room chair. 

She tried to remember the coping mechanism her step-father had taught her after she was diagnosed with anxiety. Breathe in, three, four, five, six. Hold, two, three, four, five, six. Out, two, three, four, five, six. 

By the time an unfamiliar man with slightly shaggy hair appeared in one of the office doorways, Andie’s eyes were shut, trying to make her shaky breath steady once again. The man stepped closer, then bent his knees slightly to meet her height. 

“Hi, I’m Foggy Nelson. Would you like to come into my office to talk?” Foggy’s voice was kind. Calming. Andie opened one of her eyes to peek at him. When she deemed him safe, she nodded. He stood up and waited for her to stand before walking back towards his office. 

“Karen can get you a cup of iced tea, or cold coffee,” Foggy offered. “Or water. It’s hot out there.” It wasn’t as hot as August had been, but September was still warm enough to have to deal with humidity. 

“W-water’s fine.” 

“What should I call you?” Foggy asked as they sat down at his desk. “You don’t have to tell me your real name if you don’t want to.” 

“Arachnid,” Andie said softly, trying not to shrink. 

“Who told you to come here?” 

“Spidey. He said that if there was ever any trouble, I should come here, but I don’t know why. You’re lawyers and there’s nothing you can do for me without my dad’s consent.” Andie took in another shaky breath as Karen returned with a bottle of water. “Thanks,” She mumbled. 

“Well, we can’t help you with any lawsuits or anything like that, but I can see why Spider-Man told you to come here. We help superheroes in and out of the courtroom, and I’d like to believe we’re good company.” Foggy leaned forward. “You can trust us with most things, but I understand the whole secret identity thing.” 

How did Foggy  _ get  _ it so easily? Andie knew that he worked with superheroes on a monthly basis, but he said it like he’d always understood, from the very beginning. Either this man was very sympathetic, or he was one of them. 

Andie was willing to bet the former. He seemed too nice and unaffected to be a vigilante. 

“Although, Matt’s the one that works with the heroes more.” Foggy said with a shrug. “I can go see if he’s busy now.” He stood, but Andie spoke before he could get closer to the door. 

“Mr. Nelson, why are you helping me? Don’t you have cases to work on o-or something better to do than talk to me?” She asked the question so fast and so shakily that it took Foggy a minute to understand her. 

“I’m paying it forward. After all, you and the other vigilantes keep NYC safe. I’ll be one moment.” He gave her a smile before disappearing through the doorway. 

A few minutes later, Mr. Nelson returned with his partner. His partner’s white cane knocked against the doorframe. It was only then that Andie realized that Mr. Murdock was blind. She looked up and his face was covered in red sunglasses. His hair was combed neatly on the top of his head, and there was just a hint of stubble growing on his face. 

She felt herself involuntarily shrinking again. 

Andie knew who Mr. Murdock was. Her step-father had told her class about Jack Murdock during one of his little speeches once. “Jack Murdock lost more matches than he won,” her step-father had said, “But he never went down without a fight. He’s remembered because of his strength and resilience.” 

Later, when she asked for more information, Will had told her about the accident Jack Murdock’s son was in. It was horrible, but Jack kept fighting until his last breath. Her father didn’t mention how Jack Murdock died, but Andie figured it wasn’t pleasant. 

“Arachnid, this is Matt Murdock, my partner.” Foggy said. 

“Hi.” Andie stammered out. Something about Mr. Murdock seemed achingly familiar, but he didn’t show any indication that he knew her. 

“Foggy says you’re a vigilante, and that Spider-Man led you here.” 

“Something like that.” Foggy noticed Andie’s hands flickering in and out of existence. 

“Does that always happen when you’re nervous?” He asked gently. Andie gave him a hesitant nod. 

“I haven’t figured out how to control it yet.” She looked down at her hands, trying to get them to stop.

“You’ll learn eventually.” Matt offered, and Andie nodded again. She stood up shakily. 

“Thank you for your time. I- I’m sorry for wasting it. It was nice meeting you three.” Andie gave them a shaky smile from underneath her mask. She slipped out of the office and went back onto the street without having touched the bottle of water. 

Matt smiled to himself as she left. “Foggy,” He said. “I believe I made her acquaintance last night on the roof of the building across the street.” 

Foggy groaned, walking over and sitting down at his desk. He put a hand on top of his eyes, rubbing them slightly. “What the fuck did you do?” Foggy asked flatly, peeking through his fingers at his partner. 

“Nothing  _ bad,” _ Matt said, “But it’s clear that she’s a kid. She shouldn’t be out on the streets every night. Gonna get herself killed, at this rate.” Matt shook his head. “I thought I’d scared her off, but there she was, sitting in here with the suit.” 

Foggy glared at his friend. “She needs an adult in her corner. Look after her. If you can’t convince her to stop, the least you could do is make sure she doesn’t die.” 

Matt looked almost offended by this statement. “Why do I have to do it?” 

“She’s a  _ kid, _ Matthew.” 

“And?” 


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are we friends?” Andie asked. 
> 
> “If I say no, does that mean that you’re going to try harder to talk to me?” 
> 
> (Andie meets Deadpool. It goes about as well as one would expect.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> matt puts up with them. just barely.

One of the last things Peter had told Andie was to avoid any and all interactions with Deadpool. If Andie was being honest, that was fair. The guy seemed intimidating as hell, and he definitely was the type to have innumerous amounts of weapons stashed in increasingly odd places. He wasn’t in the city much, but when he was, he could be spotted from a mile away. 

The other vigilantes in the underground seemed to follow this rule of avoidance as well, save for DP’s new team. The X-Men were apparently quite skittish every time someone asked about the red mercenary, and even Wolverine tried to stay incognito when DP rolled into town. Andie’s original plan to avoid him was to be constantly moving, but he was a mercenary. If he tried hard enough, he’d be able to find her in a heartbeat. 

The funniest part was that somehow, everyone knew when he’d arrived in New York. The news didn’t report it, but word spread fast among vigilantes. Even Peter knew when Deadpool had landed. 

For the most part, Peter had managed to stay away from the mercenary by sticking with the Avengers, who highly disproved Wade's activities and occupation. But Andie didn’t have anyone like that yet. Daredevil was still a work in progress. 

She’d gotten better at finding him. Despite her better judgement, she went to Hell’s Kitchen at least three times a week to try to talk to him. It wasn’t like Daredevil was actively avoiding her. Andie was pretty sure that at this point, he was letting her find him. They seldom worked together, but Andie only wanted to chat for a few minutes most nights. 

“Hiya!” Andie greeted one evening, waving her free arm. “How goes the patrol in Hell’s Kitchen?” 

“How many times have I told you to stop coming around?” Daredevil sighed, looking at Andie. She only shrugged. 

“I dunno, I lost track after the first five.” 

“I thought you were afraid of me.” 

“Jury’s still out on that one, Red.” Andie joked. Daredevil mumbled something incoherent about the nickname. Andie pretended she didn’t hear it. “And anyways, if you didn’t like me, you’d try much harder to actually avoid me. So  _ I _ think that you like having me around.” 

“I don’t.” He deadpanned. “Don’t you have Nelson and Murdock to bother?” 

“They’re grown-ups and they have to do grown-up stuff. I can’t distract them.” Andie scoffed, as if he didn’t know this information already. “They’re not superheroes. They can’t help me like you can.” 

“You don’t need my help most of the time.” He corrected, not bothering to look at her as he responded. “You’re well-trained.” 

The two fell silent for a moment. Andie bounced on her heels.

“Mr. Daredevil, what do you do when you’re not brooding on the roof?” Andie asked randomly. She liked asking him questions that caught him off guard. 

“No comment.” He replied this way often, but it didn’t seem to deter Andie in the slightest. If anything, it encouraged further questioning. 

“You don’t do this all afternoon, though. You only come out at night. Does that mean that you have a 9-to-5 job?” How did this kid find so many questions to ask him? Why was she so fucking chatty? 

“Kid, we don’t talk about our secret identities on patrol.”  _ Jesus  _ Christ. __

“Are we friends?” Andie asked. 

“If I say no, does that mean that you’re going to try harder to talk to me?” 

  
  
  


The next evening, Andie was taking a break on one of Spidey’s old perches when Deadpool found her. Despite the fact that Deadpool was fucking huge, he made no sound until he was sitting next to her, his legs dangling. 

“So, did the first Spidey die or something?” Wade asked. Andie jumped and nearly fell off of the perch, screaming. “I guess that’s fair, I did sneak up on you.”

“You’re Deadpool.” Andie said, her heart still going a thousand miles an hour. 

“You’d think she’d know who I was,” Wade said to no one in particular. “I’ve been in the comics since ‘91, girl, where’ve you been?” 

“Nope,” Andie decided, shooting a web in one direction and flying off. “Nopenopenopenopenope.” 

“Spi- _ dey! _ I just want to talk and get your autograph!” Deadpool called after her. He didn’t bother to pursue her. Wade wasn’t an idiot. He knew how it’d look if he went around chasing the little Spider. He was already known as a mercenary.

Needless to say, Andie ended her patrol early that night. 

  
  
  


Matt had run into Wade Wilson ten times as Daredevil. That was ten times too many. The guy was a mercenary and a few loose screws short from being a psychopath. Still, they’d been forced to work together every time. Wade hadn’t killed Matt yet, which made Wade Matt’s acquaintance? Ally? 

The longer Matt thought about it, the less he liked the idea of having a working relationship with Deadpool. 

Matt liked to think that he worked alone. His participation in the Defenders was a direct contradiction to that thought. His relationships with Claire Temple, Karen Page, and Foggy Nelson were direct contradictions, too. 

Wade was good at what he did, and he’d helped Matt out of a couple of rough spots. After all, the Avengers didn’t exactly approve of either of them due to their methods. Outcasts had to stick together, and even the X-Men didn’t seem overly keen to deal with Deadpool 24/7. 

And then there was Arachnid. 

Matt still wasn’t sure what to think of her. She was almost as unpredictable as Wade Wilson was, which was a scary thought. Arachnid had just  _ appeared, _ claiming Spider-Man had told her to find Nelson and Murdock. Why them? Did Spider-Man know who Matt really was, or was it just because they’d represented Bucky Barnes in the past? 

Matt wasn’t exactly an exemplary role model. But she had chosen him, and for some godforsaken reason, he felt obligated to protect and help her. He couldn’t explain why. There was just something so wholeheartedly  _ good _ about the kid that he couldn’t bring himself to shake her off his tail. Plus, Foggy had asked him to look out for her. Matt had tried to tell Foggy that she needed to find her own way, but Foggy was adamant. To Matt, Foggy’s word was the last word. 

He hadn’t even seen her face. Not that he really  _ could, _ anyways. Honestly, Matt was surprised that she managed to keep her identity from him, given how much she talked. She hadn’t stopped by the office after that first visit, which was fine. It was less awkward and painful on the rooftops and fire escapes of Hell’s Kitchen, anyways. 

“Mr. Daredevil?” She asked one evening. She always called him that when she was about to ask a serious question. Truthfully, he didn’t mind the nickname, but it was much easier to pretend to be annoyed by everything. 

“Have you ever worked with Deadpool?” 

“A few times.” He’d figured out by now that if he kept his answers short, the conversations would go by faster. 

“Did you know he’s in town?” Arachnid relaxed slightly, her heartbeat going down. Matt nodded in response. “He surprised me the other day. I nearly fell down like, five stories.” 

“Ah. He found you?” 

“Spidey told me to avoid him.” Her voice was quieter and more high-pitched as she said it. “Deadpool’s scary.” 

“You fight scary things every night.” Matt raised an eyebrow, looking over at her. “You’ve told me that the only reason why you and Spider-Man started talking to each other was because you helped him in a gunfight.”

“Those scary things aren’t usually immortal, and they never have more than one or two weapons,” She sassed. Matt coughed to hide his chuckle. “If I see him again, will you protect me?” 

“Kid, you’ll be fine. He’s not as mean to kids as he is to adults.” Matt shrugged. He hoped for both of their sakes that Deadpool would leave her alone, but Wade was as stubborn as a mule. If Deadpool wanted something, he’d get it. 

Arachnid hummed and nodded. “Okay,” She said, “I’ll see you another night.” 

She left before he could wave her off. 

  
  
  


Andie stayed off of the streets for the next few days in an attempt to avoid Wade Wilson. She stayed home, did her homework, and tried to get more sleep. It didn’t work, but there was an effort. 

Of course, the first night she returned to patrol, he was back. 

“You never did tell me if Spidey was dead, by the way.” Wade said, landing on the rooftop that Andie was currently standing on. “Running away doesn’t solve your problems.” 

Andie took one look at him and darted off. 

This time, Wade followed. 

“Come on, I just want to know if Spidey’s dead!” Wade’s voice echoed into the night as Andie released web after web. “He never even signed my Disneyland autograph book and now he’s disappeared!” 

Miraculously, Andie managed to sprint and swing all the way to Hell’s Kitchen in under ten minutes. She would have been proud of this record had it not been out of fear for her life. Wade followed, screaming after her about an autograph book and its apparent lack of signatures. 

Once she got to Hell’s Kitchen, she flew in circles around the neighborhood, trying to find her friend. “Mr. Daredevil!” She yelled, knowing she couldn’t run forever. Finally, she spotted Daredevil’s signature mask and horns near Nelson and Murdock and nearly cried with relief. 

Daredevil’s head snapped to look over at her as Andie landed. Andie was generally graceful and quiet from afar. This had to be the loudest greeting he’d ever heard from the girl. He was about to point this out when she started rambling a mile a minute. 

“Hey Red, remember that time when I asked if you would protect me from Deadpool and you said I’d be fine? Well it turns out I’m not fine because he found me again and I am scared,” The words rushed out of Andie’s mouth as she hid behind Daredevil, looking over his shoulder for any sign of Wade. 

“Remind me how you became Arachnid?” Daredevil huffed. 

“Later! I’m busy trying not to be murdered!” 

“Look, kid, I just want to know if Spidey’s still alive.” Deadpool landed on the roof calmly, as if he hadn’t just chased her for four miles. He didn’t seem to notice Daredevil until he stopped talking. “Oh, hey, DD.” 

Daredevil tried to shake Andie off of his person. She responded by climbing onto his shoulders like a cat and hissing at Wade. 

DD huffed again. “Arachnid, this is Deadpool. Deadpool, this is Arachnid. For God’s sake,  _ get off of me. _ ” He tried to shake her off again, which only resulted in making her cling that much tighter. 

Andie looked at Wade with wide eyes. “Promise me that you won’t try to hurt or potentially kill me. I am fourteen years old and would very much like to live,” She bargained. 

“I don’t go after kids.” Wade said. “I’ll even pinky-promise you that.” 

“I don’t want your pinkie-promise.” 

“Arachnid, off.  _ Now.” _ Daredevil warned, sending shivers down both Deadpool’s and Andie’s spines. 

Andie jumped down. “You scare me.” She told Wade point-blank. 

“Girl, I’m the friendliest vigilante you’ll ever meet.” Wade scoffed in offense. Andie squinted her eyes at him. Matt did the same. 

“You kill people for a living.” Andie shot back. 

“Correction: I kill bad guys. I go after the X-Men sometimes just to see their reactions. But kids are a no-no. I like to think I’m a kid myself. Still can’t color in the lines for shit, made that clear in my own live-action movie.” At this, Daredevil threw his hands up in the air. 

“That’s it. You two were introduced. That is the extent of my participation in this conversation.” Red declared. “Leave me alone to brood.” 


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll take you to Red. Red can help.” He coaxed. “Come on.” 
> 
> She looked at him. “We’re going to Daredevil.” Andie said firmly. “If you take me anywhere else, I’ll scream.” 
> 
> (Andie gets shot. Wade and Matt help.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> matt really does care about the little spider, he's just shit at showing it.

Since their formal meeting, Deadpool had made sure to keep a distance from Andie. He was still curious about the little spider flying over the streets of New York, but he didn’t want to scare her off like the other times. As far as Wade knew, Arachnid hadn’t been scooped up by the Avengers yet. 

One thing he always tended to forget about her was how little she was. She had to be less than 5’2, but she was growing. Still, she was so  _ tiny. _ Wade wanted to squeeze the metaphorical life out of her. 

Andie had a shadow now. A giant, loud, red and black, katana-wielding shadow. At least he  _ tried _ to be discreet about it. He wasn’t actively talking to her, so Andie brushed it off as curiosity and left it at that. 

Peter had left behind a few police radios for her, but Andie didn’t like to rely on them often. Interacting with the police had always been terrifying to Andie. She preferred to leave her culprits wrapped up nicely for them and be ten blocks away by the time the police arrived onsite. 

Andie also preferred working the night shift, but she made sure to make a couple of appearances over the weekend. On weekends, she had more time to patrol and sleep in, escorting drunk people into taxis and keeping them off the streets. Daylight appearances weren’t necessarily uncommon, but more daylight meant less action.

Despite this, Andie found herself swinging through Broadway, listening to the police radio through her suit. Most of it was static until - 

“Bank robbery on West 39th and Broadway. Three, maybe four suspects. Witnesses are being held hostage.” The dispatcher reported. Andie tuned the rest of the information out. 

_ West 39th and Broadway it is.  _

  
  
  


The police hadn’t arrived yet at the scene when Andie flew in, kicking a window in foot-first. Luckily, there weren’t too many hostages inside, and most were tucked away from the walls. Gunfire started to echo. Andie moved before she could process anything, jumping and sticking to the other walls to reach her assailants. Her limbs flailed slightly as she landed back on solid ground. In a matter of seconds, she removed a gun from one of the robbers and stuck it to the ceiling. Its’ owner’s mouth dropped open in shock, which gave Andie enough time to tackle him to the ground. He gasped and struggled as she wrestled him into submission, fumbling with her web-shooters to tie his limbs together. Andie stood up and was greeted with a bullet whizzing past her ear. 

She narrowly avoided another shot and headed for the next person, making sure his second shot went over her shoulder and onto the wall before kneeing him in the kidneys. Once he crumpled and flew backward, knocking out upon impact with the wall, his pistol joined the other on the ceiling. Andie started to go for the third when a shot rang out. Before she could process what was happening, there was a red stain on her thigh. 

She staggered over, carefully disarming him before delivering an uppercut to his jaw. His head fell back, and his body followed.

“Y’all should go, there are ambulances outside.” Wade had entered from where Andie had come in and was casually unlocking the main doors. The other people stuck inside rushed out without another word. 

Deadpool eyed the bullet wound on Andie’s thigh. “Fucking Christ, you got shot?” 

Andie nodded slowly, her breathing uneven. There was no way that she was coming home with a gun wound. She didn’t even know how to do stitches on human skin. 

“I can help,” Wade said, his lenses softening as he slowly approached her. 

“I don’t want your help.” She said slowly, her eyes never leaving his for a second.

“I don’t think you can swing with your thigh like that, Baby Spidey. Besides, the place is gonna be swimming with cops in a few.” Wade shrugged. “Your choice.” 

Andie looked warily at the hand he was offering. 

“I’ll take you to Red. Red can help.” He coaxed. “Come on.” 

She looked at him. “We’re going to Daredevil.” Andie said firmly. “If you take me anywhere else, I’ll scream.” 

“C’mere, I gotta carry you,” Deadpool cooed. Andie let him lift her up with one arm under her knees and the other under her back. She tucked her head against his chest and slung an arm around his neck, while the other one applied pressure to her leg. 

“Just hold on for a few blocks. I already called Red, we can rendezvous on top of the Hamilton theater.” Wade joked as he walked out the back entrance of the bank and onto the fire escape. “Keep the pressure on that leg, it’ll help with the bleeding.” 

  
  


Wade hadn’t meant to get involved in the robbery. He’d only been following Arachnid again to see her fight. It seemed as though every time she went to stop a crime, he couldn’t watch her in the act. He’d been doing this for a week in between jobs. 

Originally, Wade had been excited to watch her fight as she flew into the bank, but all of his excitement dropped when he’d heard gunshots. The kid was tiny, and as far as Wade knew, she was new in the game. Guns were a dime a dozen when it came to organized crime, but Arachnid hadn’t scratched the surface of that shit yet. He fired off a text to Daredevil immediately. She was close to him, right? Red would know what to do. Against his better judgement, Wade had gone inside to find her with a bullet through her thigh. 

Arachnid was a kid. Most New Yorkers knew that. Even Wade didn’t touch kids in his line of work. Wade had wanted to go after the guy, but the kid had him knocked out before Wade could even yell out the safe word. 

It was clear she was struggling to move with the bullet wound. Arachnid wasn’t like Wade, she didn’t have instant healing abilities the way he and Logan did. 

Wade knew that she didn’t like him. She’d even said it to his face when they met. But now it was between him or the police. Wade figured he won that race by a thin margin.

Arachnid was even tinier in his arms. How could anyone her age go out and play the hero? She was like, eight. 

Doing parkour on the rooftops of Broadway without his arms wasn’t the way Wade had pictured his day when he’d woken up. He glanced down at the baby Spidey and the red that soiled the turquoise stripe in her suit. Neither of them had said a word since they’d left the bank, but that was probably for the better. 

He spotted Red up ahead and sped up, leaping across buildings without much of a second thought.  _ Almost there, kid, _ he thought.  _ We’ll help you. _

  
  
  


This had to be the first time Andie had ever seen Daredevil in the daylight. Had she not been in so much pain, she would have noted how shiny his red armor was. 

He’d pulled a first aid kit from god-knows-where as Deadpool set Andie down on the rooftop. Daredevil lifted her leg, careful not to disturb it too much. “Looks like it went clean through.” He said softly. “You okay?” 

“Turns out I don’t like getting shot.” Andie whimpered as he inspected it. 

“No hospitals, right?” Daredevil asked and she nodded vigorously. 

“Parental units would flip.” 

“Well, you’re definitely going to need stitches, but we need to clean it first,” Daredevil said calmly. Andie whimpered. “Wade’s going to do both procedures. Do you know if your shots are up to date?”

Andie nodded mutely as Daredevil sat down next to her. “Do you want me to talk you through it?” 

“Yes, please.” She mumbled as Deadpool sat on her other side. Carefully, Wade used tweezers to pull out a piece of the suit from the wound. 

“The first one is always the hardest. But Spider-Man always seemed to heal fast. I guess you’re the same.” Daredevil hummed. Andie winced as Deadpool cleaned both sides of the wound. 

“Here, you can squeeze my hand whenever it hurts.” Daredevil said, holding out a hand for Andie to grab onto. “I don’t think I have scotch in the kit to numb the pain.” Andie quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing it. 

“I don’t like this,” she announced when Wade pulled out the needle and thread. The hand holding onto Daredevil was starting to flicker in and out of sight. Andie’s breath started to shake as the needle got closer to her leg. 

“It’s okay,” Daredevil soothed. “It’ll be over in a few seconds. I can distract you, if you’d like. Are there any questions you’ve ever wanted to ask me?” 

“Why are you both helping me?” Andie asked shakily as the needle pierced through her skin again. Her breath hitched. 

“We realized that no one else was,” Daredevil said candidly. “Spider-Man got picked up by the Avengers pretty quickly, but you weren’t like that. You’re good for a newbie, but you’re still going to get killed if you keep running into gun fights and robberies without a better understanding of your limits.” 

“You should get a red suit, it’s easier to hide the blood.” Deadpool commented. Andie hissed at him. 

“Turquoise and red don’t really match.”

“Then change to red.” 

“There are literally hundreds of superheroes with red on their suits.” 

  
“Then copy them!” Wade suggested. Andie glared at Wade through the mask. 

“No.” 

“Kid, do you even know how hard it is to get blood stains out of  _ light-colored clothes?” _

After a moment of silence, Andie asked, “Do superheroes ever tell each other their names?” 

“Not all the time, but it’s hard not to.” Daredevil answered with a shrug. “There are people like Jessica Jones or Wade, who are open with their names,” He gestured to the red mercenary. “And then there are people like us and the Avengers, who keep their names to themselves. Although, I’ll bet you that the Avengers know each other’s names. They live together.” 

Andie squeezed his hand again as Deadpool started on the second wound. “My name is Andie.” 

“That short for something?” Wade asked, looking up from the stitches. 

She nodded. “Maria-Adalyn. People just call me Andie ‘cause my actual name is hard for them to pronounce.” Andie looked at the red devil next to her. “What’s your name?” 

“You know my name.” Daredevil said, chuckling. “I’ve met you in and out of this suit.” 

Andie scoured her brain for the name, wondering why the voice only sounded familiar to her now.  _ “Mr. Murdock?” _ Her lenses widened.

“Just Matt, Andie. I’m not a pretentious asshole.” 

“But you’re- you use a  _ cane-” _ Andie said, stumbling through her thoughts. Before Matt could explain, Wade interrupted. 

“Done!” Wade said, tossing the needle aside. “We’ll get you back home to some nice painkillers. Ooh, maybe even  _ tranquilizers _ . Can we give her tranquilizers?” Wade’s lenses widened in excitement. Andie unconsciously scooted closer to Matt, clutching his arm. 

“Wade, we’re not poisoning her. Ready?” Matt asked, managing to move out of Andie’s grip and click the first-aid kit closed. 

A few minutes later, they were on top of Andie’s apartment building. Andie was mainly standing on one leg, but she had managed to stay upright. 

“Don’t go out on patrol for at least a few days. We have it covered.” Matt ordered. “Call us when you’re healed.” 

“Yes, sir.” Andie nodded over-exaggeratedly, saluting mockingly. Matt huffed in annoyance. 

_ “I mean it,  _ Andie.” 

“I know.” She sounded more sincere now. “Thanks for not letting me bleed out for the police to find me.” Her mouth twitched into a half-smile. 

Wade waved at her as he and Matt started to walk away. “Stay alive until next time, Baby Spidey.” 

_ I will, _ Andie promised silently.  _ I will.  _

  
  
  
  


**PP:** how’s patrol been lately?

**AA:** i got shot 

**AA:** but it’s fine

**AA:** daredevil and deadpool helped me with first aid and i’m not supposed to go on patrol until it fully heals

**PP:** yeah getting shot sucks

**PP:** how’re u healing? 

**AA:** had to look up how to remove stitches, but idk if it’s gonna leave a scar. how do you not patrol???

**PP:** don’t have the time to patrol now. tried to stop before i met you. obviously, that didn’t work. 

  
  
  


Andie groaned, tossing her phone on the bed. She’d been off patrol for three days. She’d managed to get away with using crutches on the first two days, because sprained ankles weren’t an uncommon thing when it came to practicing MMA. By the time she stopped using the crutches, the stitches were ready for removal.

That part Andie had had to do on her own. There was no Matt to hold her hand, no matter how much she wished he was around. The wound was starting to scab, and by tomorrow, it’d probably be a simple scar. 

Her stomach rumbled, interrupting the silence in her room. Andie considered her options. There was food in the house, but she didn’t want  _ that _ food. Without a second thought, she grabbed her keys, phone, wallet, and uke before heading out into the city. 

The sun was still high in the sky, but it was setting ever so slowly. Andie’s feet were moving before she could figure out where to go, and she soon found herself buying a hot dog near the Hudson River. She sat down on a bench facing the bay and slumped in her seat. 

Before she could even take a bite, a voice greeted her. “This is the first time I’ve seen you out since last week,” Deadpool said, sitting next to her on the bench. 

By now, Andie was used to Wade’s random appearances. She didn’t even blink or turn her head. She hummed in response to his statement. When she finally looked over at him, her eyebrows raised higher than ever before. 

Wade was wearing his domino mask as always, but today he was in regular clothes. That was a first. He wore a jean jacket lined with wool and a pair of cargo pants, with his hands tucked into the pockets. The only skin visible was his neck, which was covered in tumor-like bumps. 

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen your skin. What happened?” 

Wade grimaced. “Cancer. Mutation stopped it, but it never really went away.” 

“Is it like that all over your body?” 

Wade nodded slowly. “Yeah. Every time I heal, it grows back as that bumpy clusterfuck.” 

“Oh. I’m sorry about that.” 

“It’s okay. You weren’t the one who tortured and experimented on me. Fucking dish-soap did that to me. Seriously, what shithead chooses to call themselves Ajax?” 

Andie decided to not press the topic and took a bite of her hot-dog. “Have you eaten anything today?” She asked after she’d swallowed. 

“I had a job this morning.” 

“So, no.” 

“No, I haven’t eaten today. Is that what you want to hear?” Wade asked, giving her a weird look. 

“Do you want one?” Andie asked, lifting the hand that was holding the hot dog. “They’re like, two dollars.” 

Wade continued to stare at her. She huffed at him in annoyance. 

“It’s a peace offering,” Andie explained. “And a thank you for saving me last weekend. I’m trying to tell you that I don’t completely hate you.” 

“You’re sure it’s not poisoned?” 

“Even if it was, you still wouldn’t die.” 

Wade narrowed his eyes at her as she took another bite. She cocked her head slightly to the side in questioning when he started to laugh, shaking his own head. 

_ You’re something else, kid.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this part! If y'all enjoyed it, please make sure to leave a kudos, comment, and add the arachnid series to your bookmarks to know when I post!


End file.
